Subaru Impreza WRX

Comments

Of course the 5 speed has a limiter. Every car has a rev limiter to dial back the revs when you hit red line. C&D reached the limits of the car at 140mph before it hit the rev limiter at redline. Even if there was no rev limiter, the WRX is not really capable of going faster than that (it's drag limited). But we're talking about speed limiters that kick in even though the car is capable of going faster. At 130 mph, the WRX still has juice to go faster, but for one reason or another, they restricted the speed for the automatic model. The manual WRX has no such restriction. If you could run it on a steep downhill, you could probably go a bit faster than 140mph.

Why all the debate? First, the manual WRX has published evidence that it can reach its drag limited maximum speed which is around 140mph. And the automatic version clearly has a 130 mph speed limiter in all published specs put out by Subaru. Pretty clear cut for me. And lastly, why does this matter so much? I'll probably never have to hit that speed limit anyway.

Mike- Good point about rev limiter = speed limiter. I wonder if the fact that the auto-WRX only has four gears means that 4th encounters the rev limiter at 130mph while the 5th gear of the MT doesn't until 140+?

AH- lighten up! Sheesh... you and Stephen are squabbling like a couple of Mustang and Camero owners (And I'm almost positive that you've posted info from the I-Club before). The WRX in either configuration offers excellent AWD performance and is an outstanding value. Which one you buy should depend mainly on your individual preferences and driving situation.

I don't think that the WRX would handle very well in an emergency situation at 130+ regardless of how fast it can go. I'd rather be in an SVX at those speeds personally (I've actually been in a '92 @ 145+)

(And I'm almost positive that you've posted info from the I-Club before).

I did post info (about VTD-AWD) from I-club before....basically, info that...ahem...."yours truly" had posted in the i-club based on readings from technical articles. :-) I did not want to re-type my post from the I-club, so I just cut and pasted it. :-))

I got my January Car and Driver yesterday and the WRX won the 10 best award. Not that it was a huge surprise, given the way all the car mags rave about it, but it was nice to see anyway. It mentioned both the wagon and the sedan in the article. Since it hadn't been mentioned here, I thought I'd post it. The other cars were the Acura RSX, Audi A4, BMW 3 and 5 series, Chevy Corvette, Ford Focus, Honda S2000 and Accord, and Porsche Boxter.

I imagine that the WRX has to be in the running for Motor Trend's Import Car of the Year award. Given that MT just awarded (Domestic) Car of the Year to the Ford Thunderbird, I'd question the merits of that honor. Still, since Subarus don't usually garner major annual awards, why look a gift horse in the mouth?

That a Subaru is winning major awards! That doesn't happen everyday. For a long while my gotta-have-it car was the Porsche Boxster S but lately I've been thinking the WRX may be just as much fun, a fair bit more practical, and a lot cheaper. I've got another 3-4 years before my insurance takes a big drop, my current vehicle is paid for, and I finish school and have substantial income - hopefully by then the WRX will be even more powerful (a bit closer to the non-US specs) and I'll be ready to buy one

paisan: I agree 100%. There were problems with the new T-bird's cooling system prior to introduction, and now I see that almost 300,000 Foci are being recalled. I'm past picking on Ford to the point where I just feel sorry for them now. The US auto industry really has to turn itself around but soon.

on a downward spiral, but there are signs that GM is bouncing back. They've got a LONG way to go, but I think they may have turned the corner. Their trucks and SUVs are well received, and Bob Lutz can do nothing but good for future product.

Just wanted to mention, the WRX is also featured in the current Consumer Reports in a comparison test with the Acura RSX and not only won the comparison but got an excellent rating overall and the highest rating in the "sporty car" catagory.

High praise indeed from a publication famous for brutal honesty and not pulling any punches!

In fact, in their ratings of Sporty cars, only the WRX came into the "Excellent" category. The next car, the Acura RSX, was rated a "Very Good" with other cars like the Toyota Celica coming below them. In their article, they were totally gung-ho over the WRX, except for a slight snub on the fuel mileage.

Very good praise indeed, especially since it came from the prim and proper Consumer Reports !!

Didn't Motor Trend pick the PT Cruiser as last year's COY? So, can we expect the Chev SSR next year, or maybe the Buick Bengal? Apparently retro styling and domestic manufacture (or advertising dollars) are the biggest criteria for Motor Trend. At least the PT was original, practical, and a big step up in quality for Chrysler.Paisan, I did see a new T-bird for sale about 2 weeks ago at a tiny Ford dealer in the middle of Po-dunk, Utah - the dealer didn't even have an indoor showroom. Yellow with a yellow hardtop - it looked lonely sitting there on the corner.

The PT Cruiser is one of the VERY few domestics I feel at all friendly towards, and my wife actually wants one. MT having named it COY last year (I didn't know that) IMO is a lucky accident, though. That award is widely regarded as being "for sale", and the mag is generally bogus as I recall - I'll admit to not having seen it in a while though.In fact I don't read the automotive press much at all any more, though when I did I had a subscription to R&T and thought at the time it was head and shoulders above the rest. Wonder if that's still true, and what did they have to say about the WRX?